According to conventional diagnostic testing techniques for electronic devices, an electronic device is subjected to functional hardware testing during manufacturing and different field diagnostic testing after it has been deployed. Functional Test (FT) during manufacturing generally provides for assessment of basic hardware sanity of an electronic device as it comes off an assembly line. The diagnostic tests performed during FT are very detailed and low level in nature. Field diagnostic testing tends to be much less extensive than manufacturing diagnostic testing.
Manufacturing and field tests can be different for numerous reasons. For example, the tests may have been developed by different groups. Whereas manufacturing tests may be developed by production staff, field tests may be developed by research and development personnel, for instance. Field diagnostic tests are also normally run whenever an electronic device is powered up and therefore are preferably designed to run quickly. Test time does not tend to be as critical at the manufacturing stage, as manufacturing testing is performed before an electronic device is deployed and put into service. In addition, manufacturing diagnostic tests often require external equipment which might not be available when an electronic device is in service.
Whatever the reasons for the differences, the end result remains the same. Field diagnostic tests have different, in particular less extensive, coverage than manufacturing diagnostic tests. One effect of diagnostic test differences is that fault isolation and analysis while an electronic device is in the field or “in situ” may be rendered more difficult and lead to unnecessary returns of electronic devices to manufacturers for so-called root cause analysis or other types of fault and error analysis.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, electronic device returns can be inconvenient for device owners, and analysis of returned electronic devices tends to be time consuming and costly for a manufacturer. For example, removing an electronic device from a field installation, such as pulling a circuit card from electronic equipment, changes the operating environment in which a failure or error occurred and may thus render the failure or error difficult or even impossible to reproduce. There is also a risk of Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) or other damage to the electronic device during handling and shipping of the electronic device to the manufacturer. However, as described above, current diagnostic techniques provide field diagnostic testing which is significantly less extensive than manufacturing diagnostic testing. Many hardware or other low-level failures or errors therefore cannot be detected in the field, which necessitates return of an electronic device to a manufacturer for testing and analysis.